Coachella goes country with Post Malone, and everything else that happened Sunday

What makes the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival consistently the most talked-about live music event of the year is that it continues to be a kaleidoscopic melting pot of pop culture.

A sweltering opening weekend at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, Calif., that saw temperatures reach triple digits didn’t dampen the highlights, which included Lady Gaga’s Coachella rock opera, a surprise appearance by Bernie Sanders to introduce Clairo, a steampunk T-Pain leading tens of thousands of people to two-step and Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic backing up LL Cool J on “Mama Said Knock You Out.” And it was all topped off by Post Malone’s Sunday night country-fied headlining set that would have worked just as well at sister festival Stagecoach.

Post Malone closed out the first weekend of this year’s Coachella festival on Sunday night with a 90-minute performance in which he remade some of his smash pop-rap hits as down-home country jams.

Sauntering onstage holding a red plastic cup and a cigarette, the 29-year-old singer — who went Nashville in 2024 with the chart-topping “F-1 Trillion” after years of dominating pop and hip-hop radio — opened his set with twangy renditions of “Texas Tea,” “Wow” and “Better Now” that felt like they could’ve been performed at Coachella’s country cousin, Stagecoach (where in fact Malone launched his country phase last year).

Set at the Tycoon Correctional Facility, Ty Dolla Sign showed up to the Sahara tent in handcuffs and a face mask. The stage was completely transformed into a prison yard, complete with barbed wire fences, bunk beds and outdoor gym equipment. Regarded as one of hip hop’s most featured artists, it’s no shock that his performance was filled with his rapping peers. He brought out YG to sing “Toot It and Boot It, ” joined Blxst and Tyga in “Chosen,” sparked up with Wiz Khalifa during “Something New” and even put the spotlight on Leon Thomas, so he could sing his breakout single, “Mutt.”

Through all these guest appearances, he still managed to sing his own hits like “Paranoid” and “Or Nah.” He also included a few tracks from his Kanye West collab album “Vultures,” but West was nowhere to be found. Unlike Megan Thee Stallion, whose performance exceeded her runtime by two minutes, Ty Dolla Sign was allowed to go more than five minutes past his scheduled time.

Times photographer Allen J. Schaben has been capturing all the action at Coachella. See his full gallery of photos from the fest.

Music fans listen to HorsegiirL at the Mojave Stage at Coachella.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

Sometimes performers at Coachella don’t allow the press to photograph them. When that happens, I try to capture the essence of the performance for our readers with a drawing. Unfortunately, art is not my strong suit.

On Sunday, Megan Thee Stallion declined to allow photographers to shoot her star-studded set that also included an army of dancers and some dancing Bigfoot-like creatures. My apologies to Megan, whose figure got lost when I was trying to draw her stage costume.

In the midst of her fiery hit song marathon, Megan Thee Stallion ran off one side of the stage. The camera pans to the other end and former rapper and daytime TV host Queen Latifah appeared in the center of Thee Stallion’s backup dancers. When she strutted down the aisle and it took the crowd a moment to realize who it was — as Latifah rarely performs anymore.

Thee Stallion reappeared on stage and reached out to give Latifah a big hug. The duo performed Latifah’s 1993 hit “U.N.I.T.Y Together, they gave a multi-generational lesson in influential female rappers.

The Houston rapper later welcomed Grammy-winner Victoria Monet to stage where they got up close and personal in a choreographed dance.

Thee Stallion’s “Rock Steady” prompted another guest — Ciara. Together, they sang a mashup of both Thee Stallion’s track and Ciara’s “Goodies.”

“I love you so much and I’m so proud of you,” exclaimed Ciara before heading off the stage.

Thee Stallion continued to perform and went two minutes over her set time. Earlier in the show, some of her outfit changes seemed to slow the pace. The sound was instantly cut from the stage but Thee Stallion continued to dance her heart out before having to leave in silence.

Without a hugely popular HBO vacation-murder show to lean on, Jennie of Blackpink arguably had the harder job of her band’s two solo shows this weekend.

So it’s huge credit to her that she absolutely packed the Outdoor Theater for a set that went way beyond clubby pop, and showcased the genre twists and regal ballads that her solo career finally makes room for.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

See more photos from the festival.

As the first música Mexicana act to grace the main stage all weekend, Junior H brought his sad boy energy to Coachella’s biggest stage. The “Y Lloro” singer had performed on the same stage last year, as a guest of one his closest friends, Peso Pluma. Now it was his turn to reciprocate.

During “Luna,” a slow burn off Pluma’s 2023 album “Génesis,” the corrido tumbado singers join forces to deliver the a heartfelt performance of the romantic ballad.

“It’s not really a favor because we are friends,” said Junior H moments before he took the stage from the comfort of his artist trailer. “But at the same time I feel good giving back that opportunity that he first gave to me.”

Times photographer Allen J. Schaben has been capturing all the action at Coachella. See his full gallery of photos from the fest.

Festivalgoer Emma Liu poses for pictures under as the sun sets at Coachella.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

It’s the final day of Coachella Weekend 1 and we’re all struggling to match the pace we set at the beginning of it. But it’s in the mid-90s without a cloud in the sky, and the now-brittle grass at the Empire Polo Club grounds seems to stretch on forever. Frequent breaks, icy drinks and constant shade are required for a day like this.

I found respite at the tiki bar that’s hidden toward the back of the 12 Peaks VIP area, next to the Menotti coffee stand.

Once you’re granted entry, you’ll find yourself under a cover of leaning palm trees, with a pond that laps up against a palapa with a bar serving tropical, fruity cocktails to a reggaeton-pop soundtrack that bounces between Sean Paul and Calvin Harris.

A breeze flows through the windows, and shaded benches border the pond-lake. It’s tempting to wait out the afternoon heat in this clandestine oasis, evidenced by the long line of impatient festival-goers waiting for more people to leave so they could finally make their way in. Visit early to beat the crowds.

Seeking some respite from the heat and a pick-me-up on the energy front, I made my way to the air-conditioned Sonora tent, which is essentially a rock club within Coachella. It’s where you can catch most of the punk bands on the festival bill and it is one of the coolest spots, literally and figuratively.

I caught a beautifully chaotic punk set from British punk duo Soft Play. Both drummer Isaac Holman and guitarist Laurie Vincent hopped off the stage and into the crowd and seemed to be having so much fun that they lost track of time and had to revamp their set to fit Coachella’s schedule.

I appreciated that the band asked the guys to stay out of the mosh pit so women could have their own pit for the song “Girl Fight” — even if the song was only a few seconds long. Other set highlights included “Punk’s Dead” and “Everything and Nothing.”

Want to know what to eat at Coachella if you’re going to Weekend 2? Danielle Dorsey from the L.A. Times food team has some options for you.

Dressed in a form-fitting Nudie-style suit in spite of the 100-degree heat, Shaboozey brought an hour of country music to Coachella on Sunday afternoon, two weeks before he’s booked for the festival’s country cousin, Stagecoach. (A sign on his stage set literally said “Coachella’s Country Hour.”) The singer-songwriter welcomed Noah Cyrus to the stage to do their song “My Fault,” and he sang “Blink Twice,” a new single from the deluxe edition of his Grammy-nominated 2024 LP. But this crowd was clearly waiting for “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” Shaboozey’s Hot 100-topping smash from last year, which inspired a hearty singalong from folks wearing cowboy hats and faux-vintage crop tops.

Meute is already a spectacle live — they’re a German marching band playing techno music, but they also had to be among the hottest acts at Coachella on Sunday afternoon in part because the members wore their band uniforms, including long-sleeved red jackets.

They still got a sizable crowd to dancing under the punishing heat and sunshine.

However, if you find yourself seeking some shade and still catching Outdoor Theatre action for Weekend 2, the move is to watch from inside Indio Central Market, preferably with a sandwich from All’Antico Vinaio, which was delicious and one of the most affordable food options at the fest.

If you were to go to the Do Lab 20 years ago, you would’ve been greeted with orange slices, water guns and the sounds of unsanctioned DJ sets under a small geometric dome.

“Our life was a lot more simple back then. We just wanted to make art and create things. We were living in the moment and wanted to have fun with our friends,” said Josh Flemming, who founded the stage alongside his two brothers Jesse and Dede. “That’s how we pitched it to Coachella.”

Flying high all throughout the festival, the balloon chain has been a staple in Coachella geography for the past 13 years. Moving around the grounds, different people take turns holding onto either end of the daunting string.

The artist behind the chain, Robert Bose first got the idea when attending Burning Man. He kept losing his wife, so he started tying balloons to her bike. When he saw their shadow, the idea came to him.

Moonshine Shorey is a self-described “balloon-tic.” He along with the other members of the balloon chain community travel to festivals around the world to share the flying chain.

“Balloons have an interesting effect on people. They often try to grab them and almost always engage with them. It has such a very visceral response,” said Shorey. “Everything you see here is on the ground but we take over the sky.”

When asked about how they choose the colors every day, Moonshine Shorey said, “I can’t give you all the secrets, girl.”

Very fair.

Butter garlic shrimp and rice from Mano Po.

(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times )

Finding affordable options at Coachella is no easy feat. This year, with inflation and a looming recession in mind, I kept an eye out for meals under $20.

I found less than I’d like, but didn’t come up entirely empty-handed. In the block of food vendors next to Sonora tent, I gravitated to Mano Po Filipino Kitchen, which I recognized from Smorgasburg L.A., held every Sunday at the Row in downtown. The Coachella pop-up offers the signature longanisa lumpia, with six fried rolls for $14 (a vegetarian option is also available). The lumpia are filling enough to make a decent sized meal or can be shared, depending on your appetite. The garlic butter shrimp is another worthy contender, crispy but not overly battered or heavy, served with rice flecked with crispy garlic and nori.

Just a few stalls down, Gerard’s Paella was ready with several large, shallow, wide pans for mixing up the Spanish dish with yellow rice, shrimp and chicken. It’s $20 but is big enough to share.

Next door to Gerard’s was College Boy Cheesesteaks, an altogether unassuming spot, but I’m always curious to try takes on Philadelphia’s prime culinary export. Here you can get your cheesesteak with thin-sliced Wagyu or halal chicken — I opted for the first, with sautéed mushrooms and pepperoncini. The bread was squishy and soft, with hot melted cheese and soft caramelized onions. Anticipating a full day of eating, I ordered my sandwich a la carte, a decision I regretted when I saw the thick-cut French fries come out generously seasoned with salt and pepper. The sandwich on its own is just $18, but my customizations bumped it up to $25 — the same amount as a combo with fries.

Alexis Thompson of Orlando stands in front of the “Taffy” art installation at Coachella.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Between the outdoor and main stages, seven mesh-like cylinders divide the space. The installation ranges from 25 to 50 feet tall and is regarded as a piece of “mid century desert modernism.” Creating a forest-like feel, the artist Stephanie Lin included benches below the structure for attendees to enjoy.

“I feel like me and this piece were kind of coordinating today, that’s why I came to this spot. I wanted to take a picture with her,” said Bell Ghum, who was wearing the same shade of green as one of the cylinders. “She’s gorgeous. I’m gorgeous. We look good together. It’s perfect.”

A few feet from the fluffy flower bouquets, a 60-foot angular structure looks as if it’s about to take off. It comes from the London-based minds of Isabel + Helen. The sculpture is marked by dozens of windmills that catch each Coachella Valley breeze. Looking to 19th century flying machines and the spirit of adventure for inspiration, the artists channeled the festival’s free-spirited energy into the whimsical piece.

“When I take pictures in front [of the sculpture], I get stuck in a moment. It’s so euphoric. I feel so much happiness and joy,” said self-described Coachella veteran Michelle Alpo. “That’s why I decided to take [the picture]. The colors become a part of me.”

Inspired by the random patches of desert wildflowers, artist duo Uchronia constructed a garden of enormous, inflatable flowers on the festival grounds. Resembling cartoon bouquets, the brightly colored sculptures include petals made out of giant plush bean bags under each bunch. Over the course of the weekend, the flowers provided shelter from the sun, a place to relax and a lively photo background.

“It really pops in your face, but I love that it’s still subtle and also fluffy and comfy,” said fest-goer Lauren Greenwood, after wrapping an impromptu photo shoot. “It’s so great to see a little bit of color in the desert like this.”

Coachella and heat go hand in hand. A reader named Josh from California wrote in asking for tips on staying cool during the day.

The obvious play is to check out sets in the two tents with air conditioning: Sonora and Yuma.

The Do Lab is famous for its water cannons, and its design allows for more shade.

The Red Bull Mirage near the Quasar stage has slushies, shade and misters, but the part of the structure that’s open to the general public is outdoors.

If you’re walking between the Main Stage and Mojave or Sahara or Do Lab or Quasar, I recommend crossing in front of Spectra (the big rainbow tower) to get hit with those misters. It saved me on Saturday when I went from Weezer to Jimmy Eat World.

This was the hottest Coachella weekend I’ve braved in a while, and while I’m not a fan of adding more stuff to my bag to bring in to the fest, I think the answer might be bringing in a fan.

After Friday’s triple-digit heat tried to take me down, I splurged on JisuLife’s Handheld Fan Life 7 model for $23.99 (before tax) at the Coachella general store. It has five speeds and is rechargeable. There were also much fancier models with higher price tags that allow you to charge your phone. This one worked very well for me in the peak heat of the day, but I used about 50% of the charge just from Weezer and Jimmy Eat World’s sets over about two hours at its highest setting.

My colleague David Viramontes brought a mister fan from home to the fest, but found himself reaching for the Lady Gaga-branded plastic and fabric hand fan to cool himself off. It sells for $35 (before taxes) at the Lady Gaga merch tent.

I also recommend pouring cold water on a bandanna and putting it on your head or around your neck. I also put a cold bottle of water against the inside of my wrists whenever I buy a new one.

Just watch out for the lemonade stands around the festival. They are so inviting and refreshing but I just kept tapping my card before I realized each cup was $15.50 before taxes.

While Friday night headliner Lady Gaga is likely the biggest fashionista at the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, there’s no shortage of interesting fan fashion around the still-lush fields of the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Here’s a look at some of the most fashionable festivalgoers we spotted at Coachella this weekend.

Photographer Allen J. Schaben captured the sights of the 2025 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.

Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs at the Coachella main stage.

Duck leg confit with pickled blueberries and cucumber salad from chef Diego Argoti’s Outstanding in the Field dinner at Coachella.

(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times )

Diego Argoti was just 15 when he attended Coachella for the first time. His mother drove him down and, unable to find a ticket, stayed at the hotel while Argoti went on his own the first day. The next day, they went together and saw Rage Against the Machine.

Now, all these years later, Argoti and his mother (along with a trusted kitchen team that includes Carlos Jaquez of Birria Pa La Cruda) have returned to the Empire Polo Club, not as festival-goers but to helm the Saturday night dinner with Outstanding in the Field. The long, curved table seats 200, but Argoti said the size didn’t intimidate him. After all, he’s fed hundreds in Highland Park alleyways with his Estrano pop-up.

“I wanted to do a sort of steakhouse vision of Estrano, with strange large-format platings, things like that,” Argoti said. “I want to use it as an opportunity to do something that they wouldn’t expect. They don’t have an option of salmon or short rib. They have to adapt and in turn, my job is to make sure it tastes really, really good.”

The former executive chef of Poltergeist, an Echo Park arcade bar that closed last December, says he uses pop-up menus as a way to experiment with new culinary personas. Though diners try to associate him with a specific cuisine or style, Argoti resists those designations.

That’s not to say that some of the metal-goth themes he’s known for don’t make their way into the four-course meal. Next to the bar in an open kitchen, diners can see a preview of the third course: cow tongues blackened by smoke and hanging from hooks.

“Like ‘House of 1000 Corpses,’” Argoti explained.

The intention at Outstanding in the Field, which brings a different chef to the VIP Rose Garden each night of the two-week festival, is to showcase the abundance of California producers, with callbacks to his previous menu at Poltergeist. That means a seeded loaf sourced from L.A’.s Clark Street bakery with Fresno chile butter, and battered frog legs piled on dressed endive and frisée, Weiser Family Farm potatoes and crispy chicken gizzards, with Sichuan pepper buffalo sauce drizzled on top and funky blue cheese labneh served on the side.

“Eat your way up,” the server advises, as she drops off a platter of duck leg confit mounded on pickled blueberry and cucumber salad, alongside a bowl of plum-hued hibiscus toum. The idea is to scoop every element of the dish into a single bite with spongy, green garlic lahoh bread.

Wine pairings complement each course, including a German Riesling and sparkling Grenache. Dessert concludes with a chewy, not-too-sweet pandan butter mochi cake with rum raisin boba. A dusting of lime leaf sour patch makes the dish glow neon green.

The family-style dinner is one of the best ways to casually mingle at Coachella. True, you could find camaraderie at your favorite artist’s set, but the sit-down occasion that begins at sundown and stretches on until after dark invites you to get acquainted with your neighbors — in my case, two young women from Berlin who were attending Coachella for the first time and could easily pass for Charli XCX’s background dancers. They politely excused themselves before the final course to make the British pop star’s set, filling up their water bottles from a pitcher while apologizing profusely.

“See you out there,” one called over her shoulder to me, not realizing how unlikely a second encounter would be.

Tara Monsod, executive chef of San Diego’s Le Coq and Animae restaurants, will helm Sunday dinner at Outstanding in the Field.

As Coachella 2025 is underway, here’s a festival flashback in the form of a 2024 story about Dave Rat, the man behind the sound at the festival.

On a hill overlooking the early evening landscape of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Dave Rat is listening closely.

Rat is the festival’s longtime sound engineer and system designer, whose company Rat Sound has been with the festival since its beginnings, virtually without interruption. And in front of him is the new, nearly 100-foot-tall Sahara “tent,” the expanded metal structure that hosts some of the festival’s most acclaimed dance music acts.

Edward from Rancho Mirage wrote in with a question about Both-Chella. I have been to the festival several times and I am considering doing both weekends this year due to the fact that there are always acts that I can’t see because of conflicts or I had no reference for them but the reviews from Week 1 were awesome. Can any of you, as a fan, suggest or encourage this strategy?

I covered the back-to-back Coachella weekends (plus Stagecoach) from 2012-22, obviously skipping the pandemic cancellation years. As a music fan it is absolutely a much less stressful experience because of exactly what Edward said — you don’t have to worry about conflicts. The pressure is off!

You also bring up the big reason I loved the double weekends: If there was an act that everyone was talking about Weekend 1 that I missed, I would make sure to see them on Weekend 2.

In 2024, I only attended Weekend 1 and was determined to see L’Imperatrice because they’re from France and I love them and they don’t often tour the U.S. Unfortunately it meant I missed Chappell Roan. I had to settle for Chappell on the livestream from Weekend 2 and my living room just isn’t the Pink Pony Club. I don’t regret my choices, but I definitely had major Chappell FOMO.

I also feel like you get a better sense of what food is worth spending the money on for Weekend 2 as well.

So if you’re able to swing it financially and you love the lineup, I am very pro the two-weekend strategy. I will warn you that you definitely need to pace yourself more and since the grounds get trampled on Weekend 1, a mask/face covering is even more important for Weekend 2.

Coachella’s first weekend may be coming to an end, but Weekend 2 is right around the corner.

As always, Coachella’s YouTube livestream will beam performances from all the stages at the fest onto screens around the world. Some noteworthy artists on Day 3 include Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Shaboozey, Jennie, Zedd and Tiësto.